How HHO Carbon Clean Systems Turned a New Solution for Carbon Cleaning Into One of the Top Auto Franchise Opportunities

The $115 billion auto-repair industry doesn’t often see new solutions to old problems.

So when an upstart company hits the market with a safer, greener and more profitable solution to a frustration that has plagued the industry since the invention of cars and trucks, people take notice. HHO Carbon Clean Systems has done exactly that, introducing car and truck owners in the United States to a novel and lucrative solution to carbon buildup, one of the industry’s most persistent and costly headaches.

Now, the company is extending its reach by inviting auto-industry entrepreneurs to use HHO’s revolutionary carbon-cleaning model to operate their own businesses with a new franchise opportunity.

HOW ONE AUTO MECHANIC CHANGED THE GAME 

HHO Carbon Clean Systems was founded by master automotive technician Jared English in 2020. Two decades earlier, English graduated from college with a degree in Automotive and Diesel Technology. In his first few years out of school, English worked for other people, but in 2004, at just 23 years old, English rented an unoccupied building, outfitted it with garage doors and opened up his own auto shop.

“I didn’t have any money to speak of, but I had my own set of tools,” English said. That was enough to get him going. From there, English got a bank loan to fund the more heavy-duty equipment his shop needed, and he was in business.

“We got lucky and got a steady stream of customers right off the bat,” he said. “We had good cash flow, so we were able to grow.”

A year later, English had the cash to buy his building outright, and for the next 15 years his shop continued to thrive.

Then 2020 arrived.

Like most businesses around the country, work at his auto shop in southern Illinois slowed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving English with some extra time on his hands. But he saw the slowdown as an opportunity.

A perpetually curious entrepreneur who also teaches auto mechanics at his local community college, English used his extra time to research solutions for one of the most common problems he saw in his shop: carbon buildup.

As car and truck engines burn fuel, they collect carbon deposits that take a toll on the engine, slowing it down and dramatically degrading fuel efficiency.

“Carbon issues affect everything,” English said. “Stuck turbos, worn out pistons, scarred cylinders, decreased engine power and fuel economy — the list goes on and on.”

The costs to repair engines damaged by carbon buildup can often exceed $1,500. For business owners who manage fleets of trucks, those costs add up quickly.

It wasn’t long before English’s research led him to hydrogen carbon cleaning, a highly effective method already being used in Europe and Australia, where more stringent environmental regulations had forced the automotive industry to innovate.

In researching hydrogen carbon cleaning, English learned that the process is not only more environmentally friendly than traditional techniques used in the U.S. — which use inorganic and environmentally harmful chemicals to erode carbon buildups — it is also safer for the technicians executing the procedure and far more effective in the long run.

“The kind of carbon cleaning done here in the U.S. is an extremely harsh process,” English said. “It’s terrible for your lungs and skin, and half the time, it doesn’t even work that well. Then, when the process is done, all those chemicals are dumped in a drain and pollute the environment.”

STAYING AHEAD OF REGULATIONS

So, why isn’t hydrogen carbon cleaning standard in the U.S., especially for diesel truck fleets, which depend on maximum fuel efficiency to maintain profit margins? “Because our country hasn’t cracked down on emissions yet, but we’re about to,” English warns. Indeed, lowering carbon emissions from commercial vehicles is a key component of the incoming president’s plan to combat climate change.

Fortunately, English said hydrogen carbon cleaning has not been a tough sell for his clients. “Most people in the U.S. have never heard about hydrogen carbon cleaning, but when we show them, they are blown away.”

Still, implementing hydrogen carbon cleaning in the U.S. was no easy process. “For one thing, no one makes the equipment for it here,” English said. After some more research and a lot of phone calls, English finally found a company that could sell him the equipment he needed: the HH01500, a hydrogen generator capable of producing 1500 liters of hydrogen per hour.

English spent months testing his new equipment, carefully measuring the results of each and every test. “These things don’t come with owners’ manuals, but through a lot of testing, we learned how it works and how to make it work better,” he said.

After months of testing, English took the system to his customers. “It took off like a rocket,” he said. “We would do a free demo for truck owners, and the next day, they’d be calling back asking us to service their entire fleets.”

Free demos have proven to be a powerful way to get the word out about HHO’s new system. Not only are customers immediately convinced by the results, English says the demos cost his business little and provide valuable information about the service’s effectiveness.

“The only costs besides labor are water and gasoline,” he said. “And even if we do a free demo, the data we gather from that service is worth the cost of performing the service.”

In one early example of this strategy’s success, HHO performed its hydrogen carbon cleaning service on the personal vehicle of a local fleet owner. Before he had even made it home, the client called English to report the improved throttle response and power that his truck had gained. Within days, the client had his entire fleet of over-the-road trucks serviced and saw an average miles-per-gallon increase of nine percent.

TURNING A SERVICE INTO A BUSINESS

Crucially, English says the vast majority of HHO’s free demos turn into repeat business.

Turbocharged diesel engines, which are increasingly common in modern commercial trucks, tend to build carbon on the turbo veins that moderate fuel and air mixing. That buildup causes veins to stick, reducing fuel economy and damaging the engine over time. By unsticking veins, HHO prolongs the life of diesel engines and increases fuel economy, offering dramatic savings for commercial truck owners.

“Carbon buildup is a huge headache for anyone who works with diesel trucks in particular,” he said. “It can decimate fuel economy and eventually require replacement parts that can cost between $3,500 and $7,000, depending on the engine. The alternative we offer is, we’ll service your entire fleet once every six months for a fraction of the cost. It’s a no-brainer.”

Because the cost to perform hydrogen carbon cleaning is so low, HHO sees towering profit margins from those repeat customers. But the service isn’t only inexpensive to perform, it’s also easy, making it a uniquely valuable opportunity for franchise owners.

“The service takes about 45 minutes to perform, and there’s not much for you to do while it’s running,” English said. “That allows us to make calls, set up appointments and really get a lot of the prep work done for the next job while we’re still on the first one.”

Since launching its hydrogen carbon cleaning service, HHO has had no trouble finding eager customers. “We’ve serviced pick-up trucks, grain trucks, spray rigs, motorcycles, tractors — anyone who is at all concerned about fuel economy,” English said. “We’ve had appointments every day since we started offering the service.”

AN HHO IN EVERY MARKET

Now, HHO is preparing to enter new markets across the U.S. with a new franchising opportunity that will allow more automotive entrepreneurs to replicate English’s success.

First, the brand is targeting territories surrounding its headquarters in Illinois, ensuring that early franchisees are within driving distance and benefit from unparalleled support.

“Most of the people who are interested in becoming an HHO franchisee have some experience in the auto industry and are looking to own something for themselves — something that will give them some of their time back and allow them to make more money. HHO is perfect for that,” English said. “We’ve built the model., It's easy to run, doesn’t require long days and is immensely profitable. That’s a rare combination in any industry.”

English says he is confident his team will have no trouble finding qualified franchisee candidates in every market across the country.

“Anyone who is paying even a little attention to this industry can see how valuable this opportunity is,” he said. “Emissions laws are changing, and anyone who can offer more bang for the buck in terms of fuel economy stands to make a killing. The difficult part is figuring out the equipment and building a business model around it, and we’ve already done that. For our franchisees, it’s just a matter of taking what we’ve built and running with it.”

The initial investment to franchise with HHO Carbon Clean Systems ranges from $80,700 to $131,600, including a $22,000 franchise fee. For more information on franchising with HHO, please visit https://www.hhocarboncleansystems.com/.